April

• This has been a wonderful two days for me, without pain
• My eyelashes have gone with the wind, but I still have some of my eyebrows left
• They say that chemo doesn't go to the brain so these few hairs on my eyebrows must be attached to my brain!
• My daffodils are blooming - yellow is my favorite color

• I am enjoying every moment these past few days
• No aches, no pains, just fatigue and chills frequently
• Here is a picture of my sister, Marlene
• She has been such a great support through all of these cancer days
• Audrey is in her left arm and Peyton is in her right arm
• Peyton is watching grandma take the picture

• I went to see the oncologist last Thursday
• He’s really pleased that my blood counts bounced back so fast this time
• He examined my liver and found no swelling or lumps... hurrah, hurrah!
• I'll have another CAT scan the end of this month to see if the tumors are shrinking
• I got another dose of chemo last Thursday
• The chemo has decided to show me it’s the boss again
• I had a high fever the first night
• Doc Tom took care of the fever all night long – he’s the best doc in town!
• I guess the chemo is working in my liver because I sure feel it there
• I’m walking’ and talking’ again, so I’ll have a few good days before the double dose this Thursday

• I did really well with my double dose of chemo this time
• I convinced them that all the medications they give me to counteract the side effects of the chemo are causing most of my problems
• They backed off on all that and slowed down the chemo drip and I had very few side effects this time
• Just a lot of fatigue, but I can pace myself with that
• I've been out working with my flowers and sitting on the porch (until it started snowing!)

• I had my CAT scans this morning
• They always have so much trouble finding blood in my veins because I'm dehydrated, but this time I've been drinking, drinking, drinking from morning until night to plump up my veins (don't worry, it's only water and juice)
• They found a good vein on just the third try and administered the contrast dye very slowly, so I had no problems
• This is going to be a busy week!
• Kathy arrives Tuesday afternoon
• We go to see the surgeon for the six-month follow-up on Wednesday
• Thursday is a big day: It's my 70th birthday and we go to see the oncologist to discuss the CAT scan results
• I told him all I wanted from him for my birthday present was a good report, so the pressure is on!
• Friday I go for another chemo treatment
• Kathy leaves to go back to Georgia on Saturday

• We got a good report from the surgeon on my six-month follow-up visit
• All is well and recovering from the lumpectomy
• The CAT scan report is a different story, however
• The surgeon wanted us to wait and discuss it in detail with the oncologist tomorrow, but some tumors have grown

• The oncologist said that not only have some tumors grown, but I have some new tumors in my liver
• He thinks my tumors will no longer respond to the drugs he's been using, so he's trying something different
• Starting tomorrow, he's putting me on the pill...no, not THAT pill!
• I'll be taking my new chemo drug in pill form instead of IV
• He said I should have less side effects and my hair might even grow back
• He also examined a sore place on my back
• I thought I had pulled a muscle, but it seems to be a sore rib, so he's having me get a bone scan on Monday, May 2 to make sure my bones have not been affected by the cancer
• What a birthday present!
• I really think this cancer is taking advantage of me in my old age
• I guess I'm just going to have to show it how young I still am
• Thanks for all the birthday cards, emails, and good wishes - they really make my days brighter